Kevin's Burnout
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: Following the events of "To Know Where You're Going", Kevin's world seems to be falling apart at the seams.  Will the others be able to help him before he does something he regrets?
1. Chapter 1

**Legal: **I do not own Power Rangers, or the associated names, places, events etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be presumed to be purely the creation of the author.

**Rating:** T – there may be some mild adult themes.

Serena came home from the hospital, still feeling self-conscious about the visit with Peter. It was now getting to a point she couldn't even try to deny the fact she felt something for him, stronger than any crush she had ever felt before. The guy had quite literally risked his life to help her out on a couple of occasions, the last time almost ending up being cut in half by Dekker.

She hated seeing Peter laid up like that, but on the other hand, it was something of a blessing in disguise. His injury was so grievous that he was bound to be in hospital for weeks, and even then, he would likely need rehab or something. Unfortunately as a result of her own long-term illness, she was more than a little aware of the way things normally worked in hospitals. It would be months before he would be fit enough to fly back to Japan. She was sure that most likely he would be going back to the Tengen Gate when he was strong enough; his place was there with Daisuke operating his systems. She couldn't blame him, it wasn't as though he had anything to hang around for, and the only reason she wasn't going home to the farm was because of her promise to train Bulk and Spike Kendo.

As she got into the Shiba House, she hung up her coat.

"Emily, are you here?" Serena called out. "I really want to talk to you about..."

Her words tailed off as she got into the room and saw the scene before her. Antonio and Jayden were sitting with Mia, who was hugging one of Emily's soft toys tightly, and looked like she had been crying. Meanwhile, Emily was holding Mike, who was being checked over by Mentor Ji. The side of his jaw was swelling up, and he looked decidedly less than happy.

"...Grapes." Serena finally whispered. "Alright, what is it with this house? I go out for a couple of hours and an episode of Dallas breaks out in the living room?"

She looked around, noting one conspicuous absence in the room.

"Alright, this doesn't take a brain surgeon." She sighed. "Where's Kevin?"

"He stormed out." Jayden told her, throwing her the newspaper, folded to the appropriate page. Serena just looked to it, seeing the article about the Olympic tryouts.

"He missed the tryouts." Serena remarked. She knew how important swimming had been to the Blue Ranger. With the exception of his Samurai training, swimming had been the only thing in his life before he came to the Shiba House. It was his dream, one that they all knew was ambitious, around ninety plus percent of athletes would train for their whole lives and never qualify for their respective Olympic teams. "So...he just tries again next time."

"It's not that simple." Antonio told her. "Time's really against him on this. Most athletes retire in their mid twenties. He's already 22. By the time the next games come around..."

"But that's not always the case." Serena interrupted him. "Some people are good enough to keep going. What about those British rowers? Redgrave and Pincett, they dominated rowing for 20 years!"

The rest of the Samurai all stared at her in disbelief. Serena just rolled her eyes.

"I spent a lot of time unable to do anything but watch TV alright?" She protested.

"That's rowing, not swimming." Jayden told her. "You don't get a lot of thirty year old swimmers."

"So...that explains why he's not here." Serena stated. "So...what about the rest of it?"

"He kind of flipped when he saw the article." Mike explained. "He went to a jewellery store after lunch."

"Alright, now you've lost me." Serena sighed, sitting on the couch next to Mia. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"He proposed." Mia informed her. "He proposed when he got home..."

"Right after sucker-punching me for trying to stop him." Mike complained. Serena just turned back to Mia, who was holding the ring in her hand, trembling as she showed it to her.

"After everything that's been happening, The Dream World, Aaron...I just...I couldn't get my head around it all." She stated. "I turned him down..."

"And then he threw a hissy fit and left." Mike interrupted. Given the fact that Kevin had hit him, Serena could understand him being somewhat less sympathetic than the others. "Seriously, we've all given stuff up to be here..."

"Yeah, but we can all go back to what we wanted to do." Emily told him. "I have my diploma. I can go to college any time. Your video games will still be in the stores..."

"In fact, we may be onto the next generation of consoles." Antonio said with a little smile. Of all the Rangers, he was the one who enjoyed video games almost as much as Mike did. "The games will probably be better!"

"My home's right here." Jayden reminded him. "Mia can go home, but Kevin..."

"This might have been his only chance." Mia said sympathetically. "He must have asked me because..."

"Yeah, that dream's gone, so you're a consolation prize?" Mike asked her. "His dream might be over, so he marries you instead? Yeah, that's flattering."

"Mike!" Emily screamed at him, slapping him on the back of the head. It wasn't as though the others hadn't figured out that his motivation for the knee-jerk proposal was the fact he saw his world falling apart. Swimming was such a huge part of his life, that seeing it snatched away had to leave his life feeling empty. He was desperate to fill it somehow, and one of the few other things he could think of to fill it with was Mia. Of course, the way Mike had phrased it was far from diplomatic or complimentary.

"Ow, hey!" Mike complained. "I already got hit in the head once tonight. I'd prefer not to get a concussion."

"Well your jaw isn't fractured, mores' the pity." Mentor Ji said a little sternly. "Having you unable to complain would have been a blessing."

"Mia, are you alright?" Serena asked, stroking her back.

"I am." Mia said, nodding gently. "But Kevin isn't. We need to find him."

"His Samuraizer's still on." Antonio told them, checking his own morpher. "He's not answering calls, but it'll be easier to track him."

"Don't bother trying to call him again." Jayden instructed them. "He's obviously messed up. If he doesn't want to talk, then the last thing we need to do is give him the idea of turning his Samuraizer off."

"Alright, let's get going." Mike groaned, getting up.

"Not you." Jayden told him. "Sorry Mike, you have every reason to be angry, but we need someone to stay here in case he comes home."

"It is also unlikely he will come home if someone finds him that yells at him." Emily reminded him.

"I'll stay here too." Mia told them. "He'll need me here."

"Alright, the rest of us will go." Jayden told them. "Come on, it's getting late."

In another part of town, Kevin was sitting in a bar, drinking alone. In one night, he had seen almost everything he cared about going up in smoke. Losing his opportunity at the Olympics had hurt him dreadfully, but then he had almost started to accept that it was only a matter of time before he had to face losing that. He had always pegged his hopes on the 2012 games. He had missed the 2008 games by a narrow margin, at that time he had shirked a lot of his training. He resented how much it cut into his life, and had started acting out. By the time the tryouts had come, he lost out on a spot. He had thrown his own dream away on that occasion.

He had kind of thought that if he did compete in 2012, then he would talk to his coach about taking up a coaching job. That he would help get future generations of athletes to where they needed to be to compete. Now though, that wasn't looking likely. Because he had run out on his last swim meet, his coach didn't know what to think. He had been forbidden from contacting anyone to keep them safe, so his coach didn't even have an explanation for why he had run out and disappeared from training. How could he possibly explain it, even if he could contact him? His coach would never hire someone he couldn't rely on to stick around when things got hard.

He regretted yelling at Mia, a part of him understood why she had turned him down. If he thought about it coldly, logically as he generally thought about everything, he would have to admit that it hardly seemed like an ideal time to ask so much of her. Her own life had been thrown into turmoil as of late, and he wanted to do anything he could to make her life better. It had seemed to make sense at the time, but when she turned him down; he had felt like the last thing in his life was kicking him when he was down.

He still couldn't believe that he had accused her of turning him down for Aaron. He had been hurt when she had turned him down, but even he couldn't justify that faux pas.

"Same again." He stated to the barman, sliding across his glass. The barman just took a look at the Blue Ranger, seeing him looking a little glassy-eyed.

"I think you've had enough." He stated. Kevin had only had a couple, but he was so disciplined in his training that it didn't take much to affect him. He really wasn't much of a drinker. "I'm cutting you off. You can have water but that's it."

Kevin just snorted at that line.

"Water. Yeah, thanks for that, I'll pass." Kevin replied, making his way out of the bar. The barman saw a couple of guys in the corner watching him leave, before getting up and following him. He figured that something was going to happen, and he gestured to one of the other barmen that he was going to check on something.

When he was outside, Kevin was making his way through the parking lot, when he heard a voice behind him calling out. He turned to see three men approaching him.

"Hey kid, can you spare some change?" He asked.

"No." Kevin put down flatly. As he continued to walk, the other guy gestured to his friends, who quickly surrounded him.

"Alright, give us your wallet and your watch." He stated to the Blue Ranger. "Now!"

Kevin just sniggered and shook his head in disbelief.

"Great, now I'm being mugged?" Kevin stated. "Well that's just the cherry on the top of the crap sundae that is my life!"

"I'm not joking man, give us the money!" The mugger told him. Kevin by now had enough. He pulled out his wallet, holding it up for them to see.

"You want it?" Kevin asked him. "Come and take it!"

"So not smart!" One of the others called out, making a lunge for the Blue Ranger, only to find himself launched face-first into a car window, smashing it. He collapsed to the ground, rolling around as blood poured from his face.

The second one pulled a knife, taking wild swings for Kevin, but even drunk as he was, his training took over. He caught the man's wrist, twisting it sharply, forcing him to drop the knife. Spinning sharply, he kicked the man in the ribs, sending him flying into a dumpster, where he just rolled around in pain.

He turned to the last man, holding up his wallet and waving it between his thumb and forefinger enticingly as he started to approach him. The would-be mugger just started to back up, terrified having seen how easily Kevin had dispensed with his friends.

"Come on, I thought you wanted this." Kevin taunted him. The man turned and ran away as his two friends got up, and also took to heel, running off to lick their wounds. Kevin just got a little self-satisfied smirk on his face as he watched them go. Although he knew he had violated at least a dozen rules of the Samurai code, he had to admit that it felt pretty good right now. He had found something in his life he was still in control of.

"Whoa, kid, that was...that was amazing!" The barman called out, coming over to where Kevin was standing in the parking lot. "Seriously, I've never seen anything like it!"

"They were losers." Kevin snorted. "They just ran into someone stronger than they anticipated."

"Stronger? Kid, that is an understatement!" The barman told him. "They just got their asses handed to them!"

"Yeah, I doubt they'll be back." Kevin told him as he started to walk away. The barman ran after him, grabbing his arm.

"Hey kid, hold up." The barman told him. "Look, would you like another drink or something?"

"I thought you were cutting me off." Kevin commented.

"That's before I saw this." The barman told him. "You have some serious moves."

"Uh...I'm straight." Kevin stated. The barman just laughed.

"Not what I was thinking of kid." He replied. "You have a real talent there. You could make some real money from that."

"Money?" Kevin asked him.

"Listen, there's kind of a club I go to at times." He started to explain. "It's a lot like MMA, but unlicensed. Seeing the way you wrecked those guys, I think you'd fit in just perfectly."

Kevin knew that this was wrong in so many ways. It was pretty much the exact opposite of everything he had ever been taught. He knew he wasn't meant to fight for personal glory, or for personal gain, but as he looked to the blood running down the door of the car with the smashed window, remembering that rush he felt when the fight was over, Kevin just turned back towards the bar.

"So, when can you arrange it?" Kevin asked him. The barman just smiled.

"Kid, just give me an hour to cover my shift." He told him. "You'll not regret it, I promise."


	2. The Fight Club

Kevin went with the barman, following him through the back streets of the city. He had no idea where he was being led, but given the state of the streets round about, it was clear that it was far from the best area of the city, something he kind of expected given what went on there.

"You look familiar kid." The barman told him. "What did you say your name was?"

"Kevin." He replied.

"Steve." The barman replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I swear I've seen your face somewhere. Do you go to the local gym?"

"I did." Kevin replied, looking round as a cat rushed out of hiding, scurrying away and knocking over a trash can. Given his build and athletic ability, Steve had presumed that he worked out a lot. While most of his training involved swimming, Kevin was also required to do a lot of cardio and resistance work as part of his training. He had used the gym at the pool many times. "I haven't been there in over..."

"A year." Steve cut him off, turning back to him. "I remember you, you're that kid who ran out on the..."

"Yeah, I ran out on that meet." Kevin replied. Steve just smiled.

"I guess some guy shooting arrows at you would freak anyone out." Steve said with a little smirk. "Steve Barnes? I was a prospect for the boxing team."

"Steve..." Despite the alcohol, Kevin seemed to recall something as he heard the name. "Wait, you were tearing it up in the ring. You won forty matches in a row!"

"Yeah, that seems like a lifetime ago." Steve told him. "You were pretty hot stuff yourself. Everyone was sure you'd make the team."

"You too." Kevin replied. "So...mind if I asked what happened?"

"I had a hand injury a few months before the local qualifiers." Steve told him. "I went to a doctor to see if there was some way I could compete. It turned out he gave me a little something stronger than a vitamin shot if you get my drift. It turned up on one of my tests."

"Oh." Kevin responded. Just like him, many athletes knew that they were on a restricted timetable if they were to actively compete in the games. While he was taught that the use of steroids for a competitive edge was cheating, and that those who took such short cuts were deserving of nothing but disdain by those who got to where they were purely by effort, discipline and sacrifice, he knew that occasionally athletes that were injured or otherwise impaired sometimes resorted to desperate measures to keep training and competing. Steve was obviously just one of those people whose desperation to compete got the better of him.

He was a little taller than Kevin, and even now had a fairly impressive build. He had been a light-middleweight when he competed, and it looked like he still trained to some extent. He had sandy blonde hair, and bright blue eyes.

"So what about you?" Steve asked him. "What made you run out?"

"I...uh...hurt myself when I ran out of the pool." Kevin said semi-truthfully. He had sustained a few minor injuries in his first Ranger battle, but nothing serious enough that he would prevent him returning to training; indeed he was training in the Shiba House the following day. However, even in the situation he was in now, he had not forgotten his duty completely, and could not bring himself to tell Steve the true reason he had not returned after that meet. "I didn't get back in time."

"I think I can probably guess why you went out tonight." Steve sighed. "The notice in the paper?" Kevin just nodded.

"That must have been a real kick in the nuts." Steve said sympathetically. "I have to admit doing something similar when I got my disqualification notice. Still, I did find something that gave me the rush of competing again."

"What?" Kevin asked him.

"This." Steve replied, knocking on the door to an apartment building that looked to be in a somewhat sorry state. The door opened ajar, held shut by a couple of chains, at which a woman peered out through the gap in the door.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"It's me Claudia." Steve said with a little laugh. She just rolled her eyes.

"Steve, what the hell?" She asked as she opened the door, looking to him like she was less than amused.

She was a lot shorter than both of them, around the same height as Emily, with deep red hair and green eyes. She was wearing dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt, with a picture of the Samurai Rangers on it. Kevin just had to rein in a laugh. He had seen a fair amount of Ranger merchandise since the Nighlock had shown up.

"I told you I'd be back." He told her.

"Yeah, the fight's tonight!" She reminded him. "The marker's already been taken, if you don't get in the ring, we're down..."

"Claudia, I told you, there's no way I'm ready for the fight after that last one." Steve assured her. It was only then, as Steve and Claudia made their way inside that Kevin noticed he was limping quite badly. He had seen a lot of injuries between his swimming and Samurai training. It looked like he had damaged his knee, quite badly by the looks of it. He could walk, but he doubted it would hold up to the abuse of a fight. "We need to talk to Reynolds. I need to switch out."

"Whoa, hold up." Claudia called out, stopping him in his tracks and looking to him in disbelief. "Switch out? You expect Reynolds to switch out fighters on the night of a fight?"

"We don't have a choice Claudia; I'd be crippled out there." Steve told her. "You know what Brutus is like in the cage. Even at full strength it'd be a hard fight. The moment he knew about my leg, he'd be all over me."

"Steve, you know what this fight is worth!" She yelled. She then just breathed a deep sigh and ran a hand through her hair. The way she was acting, and the look in her eyes indicated to Kevin that she cared about him in some way, but in exactly what capacity he couldn't guess. "Alright, we'll talk to him, but you know he's not going to be happy."

"I didn't think he would be." Steve replied.

"So who's the sub?" She asked him. Steve just gestured to Kevin. Claudia looked like she'd been punched in the gut when she saw him.

"The walking toothpick here?" She asked him incredulously, before looking to Kevin. "No offence man, but you do realise this is a fight club right?"

"He can hold his own." Steve told her. "I saw him fight off three muggers without breaking a sweat maybe an hour ago. He doesn't have a mark on him in response."

"Great. So we're meant to tell Reynolds that he needs to allow a substitute fighter, an untested, unknown fighter to replace you in his main event with less than an hours' notice?" She complained. "God, this day just keeps getting better."

"OK, for one thing, would you both mind not talking about me like I'm not here?" Kevin asked them a little belligerently. "Secondly, I can hold my own out there."

"Ah Steve, I was beginning to worry that you weren't coming." A casual drawl came from behind them. A man came over, a short, slightly rotund man, balding, and wearing a gaudy shirt, with way too much gold jewellery and smoking a big cigar. He looked to Steve and smiled. "So, how's the leg? I trust I'll get a good main event..."

"Not from me you won't." Steve told him. "I'm sorry Reynolds there's no way I'll be able to compete tonight."

Reynolds just shook his head.

"You know, that's really disappointing to hear Steve." He replied. "You know what this means. I'll need to call in your marker. You did already lay a rather sizeable bet..."

"I'm fighting in his place." Kevin stated. Reynolds just looked to Kevin, then back to Steve.

"Are you serious?" Reynolds asked him. "I'm looking for a main event! Brutus is on a hot streak right now that's just about filled the free clinic every night for the last month! You want me to put an untested fighter in there with him?"

"I can handle it." Kevin told him. "Do what you need to. Make it happen. Give me another fight first if you want."

"Alright, now I know this is a joke." Reynolds replied, looking to Kevin and laughing. "Kid, don't go messing up that face of yours on something that isn't going to happen. Brutus would snap you in half. You wouldn't make it through two fights..."

"What have you got to lose?" Kevin asked him. "Put me in a fight. If I win, I get Brutus. If I lose...Steve's still here."

"Kevin..." Kevin just silenced Steve by holding up a hand.

"You want to lay a bet on yourself?" Reynolds asked him. Kevin just shook his head.

"Just show me where the fight is." He replied. Reynolds just laughed.

"Steve, you've got yourself a real piece of work there." He commented. "You know where to go."

Meanwhile, out in the city, the Rangers were looking frantically for Kevin. A while ago, he had entered the old commercial district, following which the GPS signal started to get weaker. A lot of the old buildings had a lot of metal in them, which hampered the signal a little, meaning that the effective range of the locator was now a couple of blocks as opposed to a few feet.

As they made their way through the streets, Serena and Emily checked down an alley, while Jayden and Antonio started looking in another direction. Emily stepped in some kind of sludge, with a sickening squelch.

"Ew." She complained. "Why would Kevin come down here? It's totally gross."

"Emily, try to concentrate." Serena told her. Just then, a rat ran out of a darkened corner across her path, chased closely by a cat. Serena shrieked and jumped about three feet in the air, causing Emily to giggle.

"You were saying?"

"God, I HATE rats!" She yelled loudly. "I swear, when I find Kevin..."

"My sister, the big brave Samurai." Emily teased her. "Scared of an itty bitty rat."

"This from the girl who ran screaming from the neighbour's sheep." Serena reminded her.

"Well...at least I could tell Mike I liked him." Emily shot back. Serena just stopped in her tracks and turned, glaring at her sister.

"Emily, we talked about this." Serena told her. "That subject's off limits."

"Aw, is big bad Serena a wittle newvouws." Emily said in a little kiddy tone as she pouted.

"I told you Emily, what's the point?" She asked. "Sure he's cute, but he's going back to Japan..."

"And he's smart and wouldn't be interested." Emily groaned. "I've heard all these excuses before."

"They're not excuses Emily." Serena shot back. "Now if you don't mind, we do have a Ranger to find."

Emily ran up to Serena, and shoved a leaflet into her hand. Serena just stopped and glared at Emily, before looking to the flyer. She started to read it, furrowing her brows.

"Online courses?" Serena asked her.

"That's how I got my diploma." Emily told her proudly.

"Emily, I've got two hopeless Kendo students to teach." Serena replied as she shoved the leaflet away. "Not to mention I have to visit Peter..."

"That's the thing about the internet; it's there whenever you want it." Emily told her.

"Emily..."

"The one thing I kept hearing from you was that you didn't think you were smart because you don't have any fancy diplomas or anything." Emily reminded her. "Do you remember what you always told me, when I was down on myself?"

"Emily this is different." Serena told her. "You know you shouldn't have to change yourself for someone to like you. I never told you..."

"Serena, I think we both know that this is now about more than Peter." Emily replied. "You've always been the strong one, but since you started going on about this, you've started to become...well...me! You're really self-conscious about this education thing, and it's obvious it's really getting to you."

She then put a hand on her arm as she looked to her older sister.

"The way I can see it, you can either sit and whine about it, or do something about it." Emily put down flatly. "I don't know if you'll ever tell Peter you like him or not, but it's obvious this is something you should do. Not for anyone else, but for yourself."

"I guess you really are the smart one." Serena said with a little smile, putting an arm around her sister. "I promise I'll have a look when we get home."

"And you'll talk to Peter?" Emily asked excitedly.

"One step at a time squirt." Serena replied. "One step at a time."

Back at the fight club, Kevin was sitting on a crate by the edge of a cage, waiting to be called. He watched a couple of the fights as he waited for his turn. Mike was heavily into MMA, and he watched a few of the fights in that time. There were some similarities to the fights he had seen on the TV, the fights were held inside a cage, but as far as he could see, the fights here were a little more brutal.

From the matches he watched, the few rules of MMA events didn't apply here. He had seen more than one guy helped out of the cage after their bout.

He looked around as the crowd called out for more, and the web cameras planted all around the cage broadcast images to paying customers. Steve came over to him.

"Alright, you're up next." He told Kevin, gesturing for him to remove his shirt. Kevin did so, handing it to Steve. "Alright, this guy Jesse's got a right hook that could shift the Great Wall. You need to keep out of his reach, and go for..."

"I'm on it." Kevin interrupted as he stepped into the cage, the door being shut behind him. Claudia came over to Steve as she watched him starting to stretch out.

"I really hope you know what you're doing bro." She told him. "That marker..."

"I know what it's worth Claudia." He interrupted her. "Trust me, if Kevin loses, the money we owe will be the least of our worries."

Kevin stepped up to the middle of the cage as the referee called them over.

"Alright, you both know the rules, once a guy's knocked out; goes limp or taps out, the match is over." He told them. "Alright, give each other hell, the crowd will love it!"

Kevin heard the crowd start to cheer, and admit that he felt a rush as he heard them calling out for action. This was the feeling he had always thought he would feel when he stood on the podium, hearing people chanting for him as he competed for his country.

His opponent was a monster of a man, almost twice Kevin's size, with a massive girth, and a scarred face and a few missing teeth that indicated this was far from his first barn dance so to speak. He came across, smiling as he saw his comparatively small opponent.

"Don't worry kid; I won't mess up that face of yours too much." He assured Kevin, grabbing him behind the head as he drew back his fist. "This'll all be over..."

Kevin snatched away his hand, before grabbing the man's head and leaping up, driving his knee hard into his jaw. The man fell backward to the floor, his head rolling to the side, and some blood leaking from his mouth.

The crowd fell silent as he stood, looking over to the man's unconscious body.

"Um...your winner..." The referee moved closer to Kevin. "What's your name kid?"

"Kevin." He replied. The man just rolled his eyes.

"Well that name will be memorable." He grumbled. "Kevin!"

As the crowd continued to stare silently into the ring, Steve came in, handing Kevin his shirt.

"Alright, that was great and all." Steve commented. "But...uh...people come here to see fights. They don't really dig it when some guy's staring at the lights eight seconds in."

Kevin followed Steve out of the cage, to where Claudia was standing with Reynolds, a couple of gorillas standing either side of her. She looked more than a little bit sheepish, clearly uncomfortable about the proximity of the security personnel.

"Alright, you got your fight." Kevin stated.

"No, I got an eight second massacre." Reynolds put down flatly. "Can you hear the crowd? I sure as hell can't! People pay to see these fights!"

"You wanted a fight, you got one." Kevin told him. "I'm ready for this Brutus guy."

"All in good time kid, but we need to renegotiate." Reynolds stated. He handed Kevin a few hundred dollars.

"What's this?" Kevin asked him.

"Your cut of the bets." He replied. "Usually the fight purse is five percent, but I cut it to three because...well...you can't expect a full payout for that."

Kevin just looked at the money. He didn't really know what to do with it, or what to say.

"Now, beat it for a moment kid. Get yourself a water or something. The grown-ups need to talk." He turned to Steve as Kevin left, seeing Steve shuffling a little uncomfortably. "You're changing the fighter, so I'm changing the deal."

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked him. "You saw him; he's easily as good as me. Better even! He'll get you your..."

"The odds are twenty to one." He said, ignoring Steve's protests. Steve and Claudia looked horrified.

"But...that's twice the odds you offered before!" Steve complained. "If he loses...!"

"You just better hope that he doesn't." Reynolds warned him. "You're already twenty grand in the hole. Lose this fight, your marker's up to fifty."

"I can't possibly cover that!" Steve told him. "Please, you have to..."

"You have to just start praying that kid can pull it off." Reynolds told him as he flicked his eyes in Claudia's direction. "For her sake."

With that, he walked off, and the gorillas dragged Claudia with them. Steve just leaned back against the side of the cage, and let out a huge sigh.

"Trust me, I'm praying alright." He muttered.


	3. Kevin's Main Event

Back at the Shiba House, Mia was sitting anxiously by the phone, hoping that any moment Kevin would either return home, or at very least call to let her know he was alright. He had caught her completely flat-footed with his sudden proposal, and having been reeling in the wake of everything that had been happening lately, she had said the only thing that really came to mind.

Kevin's outburst after that had hurt her deeply. He accused her of not wanting to be with him, indeed he had accused her of wanting to get back together with Aaron, the man who had hurt her more deeply than anyone else ever had. She knew he wasn't thinking clearly when he had dropped those bombshells on her.

Mike was sitting in the corner, just staring at her as he saw her anguish. Even though Mia had a very real right to be angry with Kevin, the only thing he could see in her face was worry. She just wanted to know that he was safe, and to have him back where she could talk things out with him. He had been instructed to remain behind as well, largely because as a result of Kevin sucker-punching him, he was also angry, and the Rangers thought that someone that wanted to tear his head off was hardly going to help encourage him to come home.

He let out a little sigh and shook his head as he saw Mia's expression, putting down the ice-pack he had been holding to his jaw.

"Look Mia, I shouldn't have said what I did." Mike told her. "It was cruel and uncalled for. I let the fact that I'm pissed with Kevin get the better of me. You know that the filter between my brain and my mouth doesn't work too well at the best of times."

"I don't know, maybe you had a point." Mia said with a shrug. "Maybe I was the consolation prize. Maybe the only reason he asked me..."

"Mia, like I said, I only said that stuff because I'm angry. My jaw still hurts like hell." He said sympathetically. He could see that as much as the Kevin situation was hurting her, what he had said, planting those thoughts in her head was almost more hurtful. He regretted that immensely, he genuinely liked Mia. Everyone in the house did. She was usually the peace maker, the mommy of the group. She was generally the one that reasoned with them when they couldn't see reason, and slapped sense into those that refused to listen to reason.

"Look, I shared the room with the guy for almost a year. I can tell you for a fact. He completely worships you."

He took a deep breath as he went to Mentor Ji's liquor cabinet, and got out some brandy. He poured himself and Mia a small glass each. Although he was technically underage in the state of California, he doubted Mentor would mind under the circumstances. He handed a glass to Mia, and sat with her.

"He'd probably never want me to tell you this, but after what went down with Aaron, he told me about seeing you in the dream world. How you were there with your son." Mike told her as he swirled the contents of his glass gently. Mia looked to him, her brows furrowed as she waited to hear what he had to say. "Do you know what he said to me?"

Mia shook her head, before taking a little sip of her glass.

"He told me that a part of him wanted to leave you there." He carried on. "He told me you were happier than he had ever seen you, and as much as he wanted you back, he wanted you to be happy so much that he was willing to put aside what he wanted."

He then held her hands as he looked to her more intently.

"He also told me after he threw Aaron out that he wanted to beat the crap out of him, but he didn't do it for the same reason." Mike said with a smile. "He knew it would hurt you, so he put aside what he wanted. That doesn't sound like a guy that chose you as a consolation prize to me."

Mia just smiled. She knew that although they bickered, Kevin and Mike genuinely were good friends. She knew Mike would never betray Kevin's confidence without good reason, but he felt she needed to know these things about him if he was to repair the damage he had done.

"Thank you." Mia whispered.

"Any time." He told her. Mia just looked to the engagement ring in her hand. "I still have no idea how he could have afforded this."

"That's another thing I can shed some light on." Mike said, sucking his teeth. "You see, he told me that he never knew whether or not he was going to get any sponsors if he qualified, so he saved pretty much every penny he earned..."

"You mean...?"

"I think that would have pretty much wiped out the money he had earmarked to take him to London." Mike said with a nod. Mia just looked to it again and sniffed, having to wipe away a tear.

"This...this was everything to him." She whispered. Mike just shook his head.

"Not everything." He replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I think everything for Kevin is sitting right here."

Just then, his cell phone went off. He saw the caller ID telling him it was Antonio on the other end.

"Antonio, what can you tell me?" Mike asked.

"It's Kevin's signal, it's really messed up by the metal in the area." He replied. "I managed to narrow it down to a two block area in the east side of the old commercial zone."

Mentor Ji looked up as he heard this.

"Where are you exactly?" Mentor Ji asked him.

"Uh...I can't see a street sign." Antonio told him. "But there's a chicken shack and a JKP at the corner..."

"Keep looking." Mentor Ji told them, getting up from the table and heading towards his room.

"Where are you going?" Mike asked him.

"Just wait for any word on him." Ji told them. "I have something I need to check on."

Back at the fight club, Kevin was sitting, waiting on his second fight, while Steve started pacing nervously. It had been a while now since his last drink, and so he was starting to get some of his more complex faculties back. He could see that Steve was incredibly anxious.

"Would you relax already?" Kevin asked him. "If Brutus is anything like that last guy..."

"Trust me; Brutus is nothing like the last guy." Steve assured him. A cheer went up from the crowd.

"I guess it's not long now." Kevin answered. He took another look at Steve, seeing him looking towards a back room, instead of the cage.

"Say Steve, are you alright?" He asked the former boxer.

"Yeah, I am." He replied.

"Say, what happened to Claudia?" Kevin asked him, noticing the younger girl was nowhere to be seen. Just then, there was a loud crash as the door came flying in.

"Police, this is a raid!" A cop called out.

"Shit! NO NO NO!" Steve started to yell as he saw the crowd start to scatter. It didn't take Kevin long to figure out how much trouble they were in. Even attending an event like this had to constitute some form of crime; the cops would be arresting everyone. He grabbed Steve as he looked around frantically for an exit.

"Come on, we need to go!" Kevin told him.

"Claudia!" Steve yelled as he saw Reynolds and his security staff running along a walkway above the main area. Claudia was with them, but as Kevin looked a little closer, it looked like she was not going with them by choice. She was being dragged by one of the guards.

"Steve, we need to get out of here!" Kevin reminded him, but Steve just ignored him, limping as quickly as he could, shoving cops and spectators out the way as he made his way through. He got to a door, managing to get through before the cops closed in. Kevin hated to attack them, knowing that they were only doing their job, a job he had to admit kind of put them on the same side under the normal run of things, but he had to take down a couple of them to get out.

As he got outside, he was just in time to see Claudia being bundled into the back of a car, before it sped off. Steve chased as far as he could, but quickly his knee gave out and he had to stop.

"Claudia!" He called out again, an anguished look crossing his face.

"Steve, we need to get out of here, there are cops all over the place." Kevin told him. Just then, the Samurai SUV turned up. As the window rolled down, a very unimpressed looking Mentor Ji was sitting in the drivers' seat.

"Get in!" He instructed them. Kevin knew that he was in trouble given the hard glare Mentor gave him, but he knew that his only other option was to take his chances with the cops. He opened the back and shoved Steve inside, before getting in himself.

Mentor Ji sped off, leaving the cops to deal with the fight club, but as they drove away, he could see Steve looking back forlornly.

"Steve what's going on?" Kevin asked him.

"The cops ruined everything!" He told him. "You don't know what's going to happen!"

Mentor couldn't help overhearing the conversation. Although he knew that Kevin had gone there for all the wrong reasons, it sounded like he had stumbled onto something.

"Then how about you explain it to me?" Kevin asked him. "Where's Reynolds taking Claudia? What's going on?"

"Claudia's my kid sister." He explained. "I don't know where he's taking her. All I know is that she's in serious trouble?"

"How serious?" Kevin asked him.

"Wait until we get home." Mentor Ji told him, pressing a button on the dashboard. "Rangers, I found Kevin. Everyone report back to the Shiba House."

In another part of town, Reynolds' car arrived in a parking garage, following which the guards got out, dragging Claudia with them.

"Reynolds, we didn't know the cops were coming!" She screamed as the guards dragged her with him towards the elevator. "Please, just call Steve. We can work something out, I now we can!"

"You know what we said would happen if your brother called the cops!" Reynolds snapped. Her eyes grew wide in horror and she started to quake in fear.

"He didn't, we both know he wouldn't, I swear!" She continued to protest. "Please, just set up another fight!"

"Oh, there'll be another fight alright." Reynolds told her, as the elevator arrived in the penthouse and she was brought inside. He gestured to a chair, upon which his men forced her into it and started to bind her to it with duct tape. "Of course, your marker's just gone up."

"But it wasn't our fault!" She protested.

"Do you think I care?" Reynolds asked her. "All the bookies will have been arrested. All the web cams will have been seized. We can't risk going back to that club. Do you have any idea how much this will have cost me? And guess what sweetheart, it's all been added to your tab."

"But that's not fair!" She screamed. He opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a syringe, putting it on the desk for her to see. "No, please don't!"

"That's up to your brother and that new guy now isn't it?" Reynolds asked her.

Back at the Shiba House, Kevin was sitting with Steve and the other Rangers. He was looking decidedly ashamed of himself and the situation he had gotten himself into. Mentor Ji had rescued him from a raid that would have likely ended up with him going to jail. He had never considered the consequences of his actions.

Steve looked to the others.

"Please, thanks for getting me out of there, but I need to go." Steve told them.

"Steve, what happened to Claudia?" Kevin asked as he looked to the former boxer. "From what I saw, Reynolds wasn't exactly looking to take her to dinner."

Steve breathed a huge sigh as he prepared to explain.

"Claudia's my kid sister." He told them. "Mom and dad died a few years ago. She's all the family I have."

"So what does she have to do with Reynolds?" Kevin asked him.

"I thought if I qualified for the team, that I could earn enough in sponsors to make a better life for us." Steve told him. "But while I was training, she got into some stuff she shouldn't have."

"What kind of stuff?" Mike asked him.

"Heroin." Steve admitted. "I tried to get her off it, but I couldn't manage it on my own. There was no way I could afford rehab, and when I got busted for the steroids, the sponsors didn't want to know."

He looked to Kevin a little apologetically.

"I borrowed the money from Reynolds, and he said I could pay it back with fights." Steve told him. "But the interest kept getting higher, and there were so many fights...eventually he told me he would write off my marker if I took on Brutus. I told him I was hurt, but he said he didn't care. I fought Brutus, or Claudia..."

"Claudia what?" He asked. Steve held his head in his hands as his eyes started to water up.

"She's a good kid, she really is." He looked to Kevin regretfully. "I'm sorry Kevin. You're a good guy, I didn't mean to try and use you, but Claudia's the only family I have. If anything happens to her, I don't know what I'll do."

Just then, his cell phone rang. As he was about to answer, Kevin put his hand over it.

"I screwed up, I know I did, but please." Kevin pleaded with him. "I know this isn't going to make up for what I did, but I want to do something right."

"Put the phone on speaker." Mentor Ji instructed him. He then gestured to the others to keep quiet.

"Reynolds?" Steve asked weakly.

"Well, I'm pleased to see that you weren't picked up." Reynolds answered. "It's a shame about the main event. Of course, since it didn't take place..."

"I'll do anything, just please don't hurt her!" Steve interrupted him.

"I'm glad to hear that Steve, but I'm afraid that things have gone too far for that." He continued. "I lost a packet on that raid. I have a lot of very unhappy people to appease."

Mentor Ji just sat down, looking thoughtful as he heard this. He had arranged the raid. He had heard rumours about the fight club, and when he suspected Kevin was there, he just wanted to get him out before anyone got too badly hurt. He had no idea about Steve's situation, and he had inadvertently put Claudia in danger.

"What do you want?" Kevin asked.

"Ah, the new boy. Well, that saves me asking after you." Reynolds continued. "You see, it's actually you I want."

"Me?" Kevin asked him.

"Despite the brief finish, your fight has created something of a buzz." Reynolds told him. "A match with Brutus will net us quite a bit of money. Enough to cover the quarter million that Steve now owes us after paying for all the money we lost tonight."

"Quarter of a mil?" Steve shrieked. "That's insane! How can one fight get that?"

"Ah...you see, that's where our friend comes in." Reynolds told him. "You see, we can arrange the odds to entice the betting. We'll quickly recoup our losses, and you and your sister get to walk away debt free. Everyone wins. As long as we get the right result of course."

"I'll win, just tell me the time and place." Kevin assured him.

"Ah...that's a problem you see." Reynolds replied. "You see, winning isn't a certainty. Losing however..."

"You want him to throw the fight?" Steve asked him. "Those fights are anything goes! He could be crippled or worse! Let me do it instead!"

"Are you kidding? Everyone saw the way you were limping tonight. No one would bet on you after that. We'd earn almost nothing!" Reynolds laughed derisively. "If you want to see her healthy again..."

"Put her on the line." Kevin demanded.

"Kevin!" Steven hissed, but Kevin just held up a hand.

"I'll go through with it, but only if I know she's still alive." Kevin told him. "I want to talk to her, and I want to see her before the fight."

"You've got a set kid, I'll give you that." Reynolds said, impressed by Kevin's resolve. He heard the phone being handed over.

"Kevin?" He heard a female voice ask.

"Claudia!" Steve rushed out. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine for now." She said, sounding more than a little frightened. "Steve, he's got needles here. I'm really scared, please..."

"Alright, you know she's alive." Reynolds told them. "Of course, how long she remains healthy relies on you."

"What are you going to do to her?" Kevin asked him.

"Nothing she hasn't already done to herself." He assured him. "Her rehab was paid for out my pocket, so the way I see it, I bought her sobriety. That means I own it, and it's mine to do with as I see fit. That means..."

"You son of a bitch!" Steve roared, hearing this. "I swear to God..."

"I don't think you're in much of a position to make threats do you?" Reynolds asked him. "Stay close to the phone. We'll give you the location of the fight an hour before it takes place. We wouldn't want the cops showing up again would we? After all, they might not show much sympathy to a relapsing addict."

With that, he hung up. Steve looked to Kevin, trembling.

"Please, I saw what drying out did to her. I don't want to see her go through that again." Steve said pleadingly. "I know I have no right to ask..."

"You didn't." Kevin reminded him. "I already agreed. Now, I want to clean up. Antonio, get him something to eat."

As Kevin went to his room, he heard the door open again behind him, and he turned to see Mia standing there as he looked out a jumper.

"Mia, I'm sorry." He told her. "After everything, I know you probably never want to speak to me again, and you have ever right, but you can't talk me out of this. I need to do this."

"I know you do." Mia whispered, coming across. She leaned in, kissing him softly. "You wouldn't be the man I fell in love with if you didn't."

"I swear, I need to make this right, and then I'll do everything I can to make this up to you." Kevin told her. "Just...Steve and Claudia need me right now."

"I understand." She assured him with a little smile. "But if you think you're doing this alone, you don't know us very well."

"But he said..."

"In case you haven't been paying attention, Mentor Ji's kind of good at this kind of thing." She assured him. "Besides, I kind of like this face intact. We can talk later."

"You can count on it." Kevin replied, feeling a little better. He was a long way from making up everything to his friends, but at least he knew they were still there, and willing to give him a chance. Right now though he knew he was needed.


	4. Claudia's Rescue

Mentor Ji had instructed the other Rangers to go and prepare for the evening ahead. They had no idea when Reynolds would call with the location of the fight, but Ji seemed sure that it would be soon, perhaps very late the same night, or early the next morning. Reynolds had tipped his hand a little when he was on the phone, informing them that he had a lot of unhappy customers that he wanted to appease. Thinking about it, it seemed reasonable to presume that perhaps Reynolds had incurred some debts himself as a result of the money lost in the raid, money they were sure he would be anxious to pay back.

Kevin was sitting with Steve and Mentor Ji, waiting for the call on the former boxer's cell phone. Kevin looked to Steve, seeing the way he was sitting uncomfortably, exhausted by the late hour, but unconcerned. He was more worried about Claudia.

"I'm sure she's alright." Kevin told him reassuringly.

"How can you say that?" Steve asked him.

"Because I know about people like Reynolds." Kevin told him. "He's a coward. The only reason he took her is because he can't make people do what he wants by himself. She's his bargaining chip. If anything happens to her, he has nothing."

"Well at least you aren't trying to tell me that it's down to his compassion." Steve answered. "Your friends...what are they doing?"

"You'd be surprised if you knew what I could accomplish." Ji told him. "The others are resting for what is to come. I would prefer Kevin did the same, but he insists on staying for you."

Before Steve could ask any further questions, the phone rang. Mentor Ji just put a small device down on the table and activated it, before gesturing to Steve to answer. He answered the phone, putting it on speaker.

"Reynolds?" Steve asked him.

"The new parking structure under construction in West Hills, one hour." He stated. "Any sirens and Claudia has a five-star relapse."

"Reynolds, REYNOLDS!" Steve called out, but he had already hung up. Mentor Ji just looked to Kevin and Steve and nodded.

"Go." He told them. "I have some arrangements to make."

Kevin just nodded in understanding, before heading out to the SUV, tossing the keys to Steve. Although it had been a few hours since his last drink, he was not willing to take any chances when it came to driving. He had already screwed up enough for one night without ending up adding a DUI charge or causing an accident to the mix. As he watched them go, Mentor Ji got up from the table and headed for his study.

In their room, Mike was with Emily, who was decidedly quiet with him, and seemed deeply unhappy.

"Emily, I think you should know, I talked to Mia." Mike told her. He knew that the reason she was unhappy was because of his outburst in the main room earlier. His words, while understandable, had been driven by anger, and had obviously hurt Mia deeply. With the exception of Mike and Serena, Mia was the person Emily was closest to. "I apologised to her. I shouldn't have said what I did."

"No, you shouldn't." Emily said a little more coldly than he was used to hearing her speak to him.

"I talked to her for a while, and I told her some stuff about Kevin." Mike continued. "I know the guy's messed up, but it's pretty obvious he really loves her. I just wanted to make sure she knows how much."

"Really?" Emily asked him.

"Some of the stuff he's said and done...I can't believe that I ever even said that I could have doubted his feelings for her." Mike told her. "I feel like a complete tool for ever doubting him."

"You are a complete tool." Emily replied, looking to him, but starting to smile a little. "So...what did you say to her?"

"Sorry, but I can't tell you that." He told her. "There were some personal things that I don't think I should talk about, but I think Mia needed to hear them."

"So, do you think...you know...? They'll be OK?" Emily asked him.

"Hey, it's Kevin and Mia. With the exception of us, who could be more rock-solid?" He asked her. "You know, when I was talking to her, replaying a lot of the stuff I know about Kevin, do you want to know what I was thinking?"

Emily just nodded.

"If this hadn't happened, if Kev hadn't jumped the gun like this...I'm not sure we'd have been waiting too long before he...you know...anyway." He told her.

"You really think so?" Emily asked him. Mike just nodded.

"I can't think of either of them with anyone else can you?" Mike asked her. Emily just hugged him excitedly. Parting from him, she was almost bouncing with excitement.

"Alright, so does this mean I'm forgiven?" He asked her.

"How could I be mad at you now?" She asked him. "So, what do we do until Mentor calls us?"

"Well, we could always get ready for the Halloween party we were planning on having." Mike suggested. Emily just nodded.

"That sounds like an idea." She replied. "I'm too excited to rest."

Meanwhile, Kevin and Steve arrived at the parking garage, seeing a couple of guys standing by the fences. It was still under construction, so the area was cordoned off, but as they saw Steve through the window of the SUV, the guards just opened the gate.

Driving inside, they followed the ramps all the way to the top level, where they could see a crowd beginning to form. Steve pulled up the SUV, shutting it down, before they got out. A man approached Steve. He recognised him as one of Reynolds' men.

"Where's Claudia?" Steve asked him.

"She's comfortable." The man told him. "For now."

"I want to see her." Steve told him.

"Sorry, but we're keeping this entirely under lock and key." The man told him. He looked to Kevin. "The bets are coming in thick and fast. The books are already looking heavy enough to repay what we lost."

"I don't give a damn what you lost." Kevin stated flatly. "What do I have to do to get Claudia out of here safely?"

"Just last to the seventeenth minute, that's when Brutus takes you out." The man replied. "Keep your eye on me. I'll give you the signal."

"Just...don't do anything to her." Steve told him. "Please."

"If your boy here does what he's supposed to without any drama, then we'll all walk out of here safe and sound." The man replied with a little smile. "Except maybe him of course, but then, that'll be his problem won't it?"

As he walked away, Steve just ran a hand through his hair and looked to Kevin regretfully.

"So what now?" Steve asked him.

"For now, we do what we're meant to." Kevin told him. "Ji will come through."

Over in the Netherworld, Dayu was sitting in a cave, lamenting over her ruined Harmonium. It had been a while now since that fateful day. She didn't know why she insisted on keeping it, the instrument was ruined, and so far she hadn't found a way to get it repaired, but any time she had considered discarding it, she found herself unable to. It was her last link to the man she loved, the last thing that existed of Dekker.

She still had no intention of ever going back to Xandred, that much hadn't changed. Of course that meant that now, her existence was reduced to one of running and hiding. As a traitor to Xandred, she could find no friends among the Nighlocks in the Netherworld, and as a half-Nighlock, who no longer possessed the ability to shift into a human form, she could expect no respite or pity from the human world either. She truly was a being with nowhere to go. Well, almost.

She never understood why, but there was a section of the Netherworld, a particularly dark and forbidding place, where even the gnarled, twisted trees of the Sanzu Riverbanks would not grow. The foreboding red light of the river did not reach there, and even Master Xandred did not ever go there, not even during his campaign to take over the Netherworld. There were whispers of Nighlock going there and never coming back, which was why many simply referred to this area as 'the Dark Zone'." She had no idea what would await her there, but given her situation, she had no real choice, and had entered in search of shelter. She had now been here since her last battle against the Rangers.

As she sat in silence, she heard some movement outside, and snatched the blade from the neck of her Harmonium. While the blade had lost its tip, it still had an edge, making it a serviceable weapon. She started to make her way towards the mouth of the cave, staying low. She hadn't seen or heard any signs of another being since she had come here.

As she got closer to the mouth of the cave, waiting to see if there was any sign of what was out there. Given the fact even other Nighlocks were scared to come here, she wanted to be ready, doubting anything she would meet here would be friendly. However, she heard a rather curious thing, she heard voices, and even, she couldn't believe it, laughter.

"So this banquet takes place every year?" She heard one raspy voice ask. She strained her eyes to see in the darkness as she saw a few figures standing there. One of them stood out though, being a bit larger than the others, and with a large, sharp horn.

"Rhinosnorus?" She gasped. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. He had been destroyed by the Rangers. She knew he had. How was it possible he was here?

Looking closer, she realised that the other three Nighlock were ancient, one of them she hadn't seen in hundreds of years, but she could recall seeing his destruction first-hand, when he fell to one of the ancient Blue Rangers. The other two had fallen much more recently, one of them to only the previous generation of Rangers.

"This is...impossible!" She gasped. "They all met the final death!"

"This night is the most special of nights." The eldest Nighlock told him. "We call it the Feast of the Fallen. It is a night when the Nighlock who have fallen in battle to the Rangers meet to honour our comrades. It is a celebration of the warrior spirit of the Nighlock."

"And all Nighlock are welcome?" Rhinosnorus asked him.

"Only those who have earned it with an honourable demise in battle against the Samurai." The eldest Nighlock clarified. "It is a great honour to be admitted. We all go."

This part interested Dayu. Although before now she had no idea that Nighlock existed in any way once they were destroyed, it now appeared that the rumours of Nighock coming here and never returning was a misunderstanding of what the Dark Zone was. It was a domain where the Nighlock went to another life after their destruction. Of course, there was another thing that interested her. He said that all Nighlock that fell in battle to the Samurai attended this Feast of the Fallen. Was it possible that she could see her beloved Dekker again?

"Where do we go?" Rhinosnorus asked him. The Eldest Nighlock just laughed and pointed upwards.

"A castle appears in the sky for one whole night every year." He replied. "You will see it, believe me."

With that, the group dispersed. Dayu just went back into the cave, to her hiding place. She had no idea what the consequences would be if she was found here. If the Dark Zone was restricted to Nighlock that had been destroyed, it was possible they would not appreciate one still living gate crashing their banquet. Right now though, she didn't care. If there was a chance she could see Dekker again, she was willing to risk it.

Back at the parking block, Reynolds was in a security office, watching the preparations for the fight on a security monitor. He had two guards with him, and Claudia was sitting with him, her hands and feet bound tightly to a chair with duct tape. He smiled as he watched the people clamouring to make their bets.

"You know, maybe I was wrong about your brother all along. Maybe he wasn't the money spinner I was looking for." He looked to her and gave her a little smile. "You better hope that the new kid does what he's supposed to."

She started to shake again as he reached into his inside pocket, pulling out a small leather case. She knew exactly what was inside. Going through rehab, getting clean had been the hardest thing she had ever had to do in her life. She had tried and relapsed several times before Steve managed to get her into the rehab unit and get her clean for good. She started to tear up just thinking about it.

"Oh, come on now Claudia, I'm sure you remember how much you used to enjoy this." Reynolds teased her. "I'm wondering if there's a part of you that almost hopes we do lose the bet."

"No." She sobbed. "Please, don't."

"If your brother and his boy screw this up, that'll be the least of your worries." Reynolds assured her. "There'll be no more use for him, or his little friend."

Just then, the window of the office smashed, and smoke filled the room. All four coughed furiously, and were completely disorientated by the events. Claudia's vision cleared enough to see one of the guards fly across the room, landing by her and clutching a terrible wound running the length of his arm, which was bleeding heavily.

Through the smoke, she could just make out a dark silhouette carrying what looked like some kind of staff or spear taking down the other guard swiftly. Reynolds stumbled into view, at which the dark shape rushed him, grabbing him and shoving him through the window.

Reynolds dangled outside, hanging only by his shirt. He could see enough to see a pair of gloved hands holding his shirt.

"Try to pull yourself in and I drop you!" The stranger warned him. From this angle, all he could see was a man clad in black clothing. He couldn't see a face.

"No, please...!"

"Did you listen to the girl's pleas?" The stranger snapped, letting him slip a little. Reynolds started screaming out in complete terror. "I'm taking the girl out of here. If you follow us, or go near her or her brother again, I will hear about it. Believe me, there is nowhere you will be able to hide from me."

With that, the stranger let go. Reynolds screamed as he fell from the window, shutting his eyes tightly, but coming to a stop a short time later. He opened his eyes, seeing that he was caught in a safety net. The construction crews had put it up underneath the scaffolding from the ongoing construction work for safety. Reynolds just flopped onto his back and fainted.

Back in the office, the stranger cut Claudia loose.

"Go." He told her. She was about to leave, but he could see her staring at the leather wallet on the table. She picked it up, staring at it, at which she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Your brother has sacrificed a great deal for you." He stated. "That would be a pretty poor way to repay him don't you think?"

"Yes, it would." She replied, dropping it on the floor, before stomping on it, smashing the syringes inside. "I just wanted to stop anyone else getting it."

"Your brother is on the top parking level." He told her. "Once he sees you, you can both escape. I will ensure that."

She just ran out of the room, at which the stranger pulled out a cell phone.

Up on the top level, Kevin was just taping up his hands in preparation for the bout. He could see why everyone made such a fuss about this Brutus guy. He was indeed a man-mountain, completely eclipsing him in size, but seeing him performing some warm-up exercises, he could see that he was no mere slow, clumsy muscle-man. He recognised some of his moves from his own training, and knew that he was good.

"OK Kevin, you only have to make it to seventeen minutes." Steve reminded him. "Just stay away from him..."

"I can't do that." Kevin told him. "The fight needs to look real."

"But he'll..."

"I know this is going to hurt, but if the bookies think the fight is fixed, they won't honour the bets." Kevin reminded him. "If that happens..."

"Steve!" Claudia called out, running over to him. His eyes lit up.

"Claudia, how...?"

"Who cares, let's just get the hell out of here!" She told him.

"How?" Kevin asked, gesturing to the crowds around them.

Just as he asked this, the whole level was filled with smoke. He heard sounds of a brief scuffle, before the lights of the SUV came on lighting a path. Kevin grabbed Steve and Claudia, dragging them back to the vehicle. Steve started it up, driving away.

Later in the Shiba House, Kevin arrived back with Steve and Claudia, causing Jayden to look up in surprise.

"Wait...what?" He asked. "I thought...?"

"Ji didn't call you?" Kevin asked. Jayden just shook his head. Ji came into the room afterwards, smiling.

"I have been assured that you will both be safe." Ji replied. "I doubt you will see or hear from Reynolds again."

"I don't know what to say. Thank you just doesn't seem to cover it." Steve said, holding Claudia softly. "She's all I have. If anything had happened to her..."

"Just take care of each other and live an honest life." Ji told them. "That is all I ask."

Steve shook his hand, and Kevin's, before taking Claudia to go home. Jayden saw a little look between Kevin and Mentor Ji and breathed a sigh.

"I think I need some sleep." Jayden told them. "It takes a while with the sling...and...OK, going now."

Kevin looked to his feet in shame as he saw Ji standing before him.

"Mentor, I..."

"You know better than that Kevin." Mentor Ji told him. "Nothing good ever comes from fighting for glory. That is why it is forbidden."

"I know Mentor." He sighed.

"Still, your actions in helping Steve do show that you still have your priorities in order." Mentor Ji said with a proud smile.

"So...I'm forgiven?" Kevin asked.

"By me at least. The others, I would advise you speak to them in turn." He replied. "I also trust you will understand why you will be solely responsible for all the cleaning for the next month."

"I do." Mentor replied. "So...if you didn't use the guys...how did you...?"

"There are some mysteries that need to remain just that." Mentor Ji said with a knowing smile. "Goodnight Kevin."

The Blue Ranger went to his room to go and sleep, figuring that by now it would be too late to talk to Mia and beg for her forgiveness. As he found himself alone in the main room, Mentor Ji went to a wall, opening up a secret panel, behind which there was a safe.

Tapping in the combination, he opened the door, seeing the section of Urumasa they had reclaimed inside. He reached into his kimono, pulling out a device that looked somewhat like a paintbrush, and put it inside, locking the safe once more.


End file.
